The Real History of Witches and Witch Hunts

By: Thomas Fudge

Narrated by: Thomas Fudge

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

Heralded as one of the world’s greatest scholars of scholars of late medieval religious heterodoxy, Thomas Fudge combines scholarly insight with great storytelling. 

For centuries, the idea of witches living in our midst has enthralled us. How did this fascination develop? Why did it lead to the persecution of thousands of accused “witches,” most of them women? What does the history of witch hunts reveal about our identities and Western civilization at large?   

Holding doctorates in both medieval history and theology, Prof. Fudge is the perfect guide for this audio course on witch-hunting. Under his tutelage, you will discover how a culture of paranoia developed, why those ideas appealed to men and women in the 16th and 17th centuries, and what effects linger even today. Throughout this 18-part series you will analyze primary sources to understand and contextualize the regulation, detection, and prosecution of alleged witchcraft. 

By studying the medieval foundations for modern manifestations of witch-hunting - like McCarthyism - you will become more conscientious of the social dynamics of witch-hunts. As Prof. Fudge underscores, witches are a topic “used, misused, and abused.” 

This course is part of the Learn25 collection and includes a free PDF study guide. 

©2018 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2018 Now You Know Media Inc.

But I will go into that in a latter lecture...

To be honest this was a bit of a let down. I barely remember any of this book. It's main failing seemed to be the lectures were too short for the professor to really get to grips with the subject before he has to switch topics. The topic would just start to be interesting and then the fateful words "But I will go into that in a latter lecture." would grace my ears and we would be off onto another topic.

Interesting lecture series on a riveting topic

I've always wanted to know more about witch-hunting, so I was pleased to find this title. How could something like this ever even have happened, was always one of my main questions. This audiobook answered some of the questions for me, and left me stunned at the astonishing number of women burned at the stake for witchcraft in the Middle Ages. I was also surprised to learn that the burnings continued into the Renaissance, in other words, the Age of Reason, when art and science were starting to blossom. The work is all the more relevant in today's world where of course women have far more freedom and rights, but still I think it's easier to tarnish a woman's name than a man's. This audiobook gives insight into the history of that. Great content, but obviously, since it's a lecture series, the delivery is a little dry. Don't let that put you off, though.

Slow and lecture like

Impossible to follow. Monotonous to the point I almost fell asleep while driving. If you want an interesting story this is not what you are looking for.

Don't heed the negative reviews

This is a very fine, concise series of 18 lectures on an important subject. I recommend it to all interested in history. The lecturer speaks in a clipped way that could annoy, but listening at 1.5 speed mitigated the effect.

Negative comments I've read here seem entirely unjustified, some absurdly so. I bought this at a 2-for1 credit sale, but having listened to it, I would gladly pay a full credit. I might add that I listen to many books on history and own just about every title on history in the Great Courses lecture series.

Don’t bother with this lecture series

its a laundry list of witch persecutions in early modern Europe. Dr Fudge doesn’t bother or more likely isn’t given the time to put the witch persecutions in social, political or cultural context. He never delves into why they started or why they ended. And while not all accused witches were female, a majority were. He completely ignores the topic of female victimization then or parallels in today’s society. Ho hum, this whole topic was not given very much academic rigor. Again lack of time?

illuminating

Even if one is aware of the history, this book does a very good job of providing actual court evidence, more lack, written during the trials of the individuals accused of witchcraft.

Great listen!

I love how deep and thorough these series of lectures were. I felt very convinced that the prof knew what he was talking about, and it was fascinating

A great listen!

So very sad that this actually happened! Great insight to the bizarre world of Early Modern Europe and how religion, oddly enough, lays proof that (arguably), the most evil treatment ever brought upon defenseless, innocent people, was all done in the name of God, Ignorance and Fear.

Informative but ...

This book is very informative about the times and the people involved but It gets disturbingly gruesome at times. This is one book I will not listen to again.

Perfect professor for this series

With 2 PhDs, in medieval history and in theology, Prof. Fudge shares his deep understanding of this strange subject. His lectures are erudite, lively, information packed. I hope to see more Learn25 lecture courses by Fudge soon.

Difficult to listen to at times

Great content, but absolutely robotic reading. Difficult to listen to without drifting off. I feel a bit sorry for his students.

Scholarly and horrifying

I found it upsetting at times. The author spares you the worst, but it's still very grisly here and there. I defy anyone not to be moved by the plight of the Pappenheim family.

It's very well presented, easy to follow, yet scholarly. It covers heresy, the law and processes. Considering it's quite short it covers a lot of ground. Very good.